Preliminary Candidate Shin Jeong-hoon Announces Pledges for Forest Managers

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Shin Jeong-hoon, the Democratic Party of Korea preliminary candidate for the National Assembly representing Naju-Hwasun, Jeonnam, announced on the 19th that he attended the regular general meeting of the Korea Forest Managers Association Gwangju-Jeonnam branch held in Hwasun on the 17th and revealed forestry-related pledges such as the ‘introduction of a public interest-type direct payment system for forestry’ and the ‘expansion of support projects for processing and distribution of forest products.’

Preliminary candidate Shin Jeong-hoon promised that for “profitable forests, forests with jobs, and forests that revive the economy,” “forest land must be included as a target of the public interest-type direct payment system, which is the biggest long-standing issue in the forestry sector.”

Shin emphasized, “The forestry sector is currently excluded from the introduction of the public interest-type direct payment system aimed at expanding the public interest functions of agriculture and rural areas. Since most forests are designated as conservation forest areas with development restrictions and various regulations severely limit forest owners’ property rights, we will ensure that forestry is included in the public interest-type direct payment system, considering income preservation for forestry workers, the formation of a virtuous cycle structure in forestry, and fairness with other industries.”

He added, “While the introduction of a public interest-type direct payment system is being promoted in the fisheries sector, forestry also has very high public interest value like agriculture and fisheries, so we will consult with the Korea Forest Service to ensure its introduction.”

Along with this, he promised to foster the sixth industrialization of forestry by expanding the budget for support in processing and distributing forest products, which allows easy processing and distribution of small quantities of forest products, thereby revitalizing direct transactions from production areas.

He said, “Large-scale forest product distribution center facilities are supported through central government public projects with funding ranging from 200 million to 2 billion KRW, but it is difficult to support forestry workers who need small-scale forest products, so this policy pledge was prepared.”

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